Academic Programs
Department of Biology
Studying biology at Denison
Students and faculty alike enjoy unfettered access to the University's 350-acre Biological Reserve to perform experiments and conduct coursework in the life sciences
Denison's Department of Biology gives students a broad exposure to and understanding of the natural world, and provides a solid preparation for graduate and professional schools. Our graduates pursue successful careers in education, research, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmaceutical and nutritional fields, forest and park services and conservation organizations.
At the beginning of the 2003-04 academic year, the department moved into the brand new, state-of-the-art Samson Talbot Hall of Biological Science. The six-floor, 60,000-square-foot building was designed by the award-winning firm of Graham Gund Architects to include flexible teaching labs for short- and long-term experiments and classrooms that facilitate small, interactive classes.
The department offers 20 courses per year, and maximum enrollment in all courses is 24.
Denison's 350-acre Biological Reserve and Polly Anderson Field Station are within walking distance of campus and are used for labs, field trips and research.
You will be encouraged to participate in senior research and present your results in an annual symposium. In many cases, research is conducted in collaboration with a faculty member. Our faculty have diverse research interests, so you will have a variety of areas from which to choose a research topic.
Off-campus opportunities for study and research include semester and summer programs at the Duke University Marine Biology Laboratory, the Semester-at-Sea, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, the School for Field Studies, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratories.
The biology major and minor
Samson Talbot Hall of Biological Science, which opened Sept. 1, 2003, is the home of the Biology Department, providing greatly expanded and modernized facilities for biology instruction and cutting-edge research
To graduate as a biology major (B.A. or B.S.), you must complete the three core courses (Introduction to the Science of Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Evolution) by the end of your sophomore year. In addition, the major requires five or six (depending on the degree sought) 300-level advanced courses. The three core courses are intended to provide a comprehensive foundation. Advanced courses are intended to provide depth in specific topics and advanced research skills.
The minor in biology consists of six courses in biology, including the three introductory core courses.
What do biology majors do after Denison?
After graduation, many biology majors continue their education in graduate or professional programs, including medical, dental and veterinary schools.
Some graduates work with pharmaceutical companies or seek employment in the diverse array of corporate and non-profit organizations across the United States and abroad.
Here is a sampling of what some of our 2007 graduates are doing now:
- Kate Barczowski, carnivore keeper, Little Rock Zoo, Arkansas
- Elaine Binkley, medical school, Ohio State University
- Andrew Bishop, medical school, Indiana University
- Chani Coady, master's program in social work, Case Western Reserve
- Jon Horn, master's program in environmental science, Ohio State University
- Melissa Kennedy, master's program in Earth and environmental science, Wright State University
- Katie Sparks, doctoral program in plant ecology, University of Kansas
- Sam Johnson, business, Case Western Reserve
- Alexa Lindley, research technician, Northwestern University
- Meg Richardson, optometry school, Pacific University
- Kate Seymour, medical school, University of Kansas
- Laurel Symes, doctoral program in ecology, evolution and behavior, Dartmouth College
Denison biology students conduct an experiment in a laboratory segment of a 300-level course studying nervous system development.
Opportunities for student research:
- Evolution of sea urchin development
- Sexual signaling in damselflies
- Tumor biology of bladder cancer
- Neural development in fruit flies
- Evolution of species in adder's tongue ferns
- Nervous system control of frog vocalizations
- Effects of disturbance on prairie plants
- DNA packaging proteins in DNA repair
- Habitat use by pond-breeding salamanders
- Disease mechanisms in cystic fibrosis pathogens
- Design of crustacean noses
- Fish and aquatic food webs
- Human influences on amphibian communities
Students often present their work at regional meetings such as the Ohio Academy of Sciences, and some also have presented their work along with their faculty advisers at national meetings of scientific organization such as the American Society for Microbiology, the Ecological Society of America, the Botanical Society of America, and the Entomological Society of America.
Some examples of recent student research projects include:
- Jenna McCroskey: Molecular characterization of dominant enhancers of the trio mutant phenotype in Drosophila
- Andrew Terlacky: The effects of mosquitofish and ammonium nitrate on green frog tadpoles, Rana clamitans: a mesocosm experiment
- Amrita Vavilikolanu: Expression of p63 isoforms in cancerous bladder tissue
- Ben Bring: A study of odonate community development, habitat preferences and colonization among ponds and artificial wetlands at Dawes Arboretum
- Ashley Albrecht: Epistasis analysis between UV sensitive histone H3 mutants and the post replication repair pathway
- Gretchen White: Third year survey of the breeding population of the spotted salamander and its habitat
Who are our professors?
Our faculty are both scholars and teachers, and they welcome the opportunity to do one-on-one research with their students.
Department Chair and Associate Professor Warren D. Hauk joined the faculty at Denison in 1998. He earned a B.A. at Baylor University, an M.A. at the University of Kansas-Lawrence and a Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Hauk specializes in evolution and classification of plants using DNA-based technologies. He teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Plant Systematics and Evolutionary Biology.
Visiting Assistant Professor Tessa Carrel joined the faculty at Denison in 2006. She earned her B.S. at Muskingum College and her M.S. and Ph.D. at Ohio State University. She teaches Cell and Molecular Biology, and Developmental Neurobiology.
Assistant Professor Rebecca N. Homan joined the faculty at Denison in 2003. She earned a B.A. at Wellesley College and a Ph.D. at Tufts University. Her research interests include ecology of amphibians in human-dominated landscapes with an emphasis on identifying conservation strategies. Homan teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Conservation Biology and Herpetology.
Professor Eric C. Liebl joined the faculty at Denison in 1994. He earned a B.S. at the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. at the University of California. Liebl teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics, Developmental Biology and team-teaches Bioethics. His research uses fruit fly genetics to study how the central nervous system develops.
Visiting Assistant Professor James Marshall joined the faculty in 2007. He earned both a B.A. and B.S. degree in Environmental Science at Texas Christian University, his M.S. at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and his Ph.D. in ornithology at The Ohio State University. Marashall studies the nesting ecology of shrub-nesting birds and the tradeoffs between immune function and other energy demands in birds. He teaches courses in non-majors biology (Apocalypse, Catastrophe and Collapse), Ecology and Evolution, and Ornithology.
Assistant Professor Andy McCall earned his B.A. from Carleton College, a M.Sc. from the University of Canterbury, and a M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis. He is currently conducting research on induced defenses in flowers, inbreeding depression, and bioinformatics using plant secondary chemicals. He currently teaches courses in Introduction to the Science of Biology, Plant Ecology, and Ecology and Evolution.
Associate Professor Kristina Mead joined the faculty at Denison in 2002. She earned a B.A. at Williams College and a Ph.D. at Stanford University. Mead is interested in how crustaceans use chemical, visual and mechanical cues to track odor plumes. She also does research on the fertilization and early development of marine invertebrates. Her courses include Introduction to the Science of Biology, Animal Physiology and Introduction to Neurophysiology.
Associate Professor Jessica E. Rettig joined the faculty at Denison in 2000. She earned a B.A. at Earlham College and a Ph.D. at Michigan State University. Rettig teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Population and Community Ecology and Invertebrate Zoology. Her research uses bluegill sunfish to study population and community ecology of ponds and lakes.
Assistant Professor Heather Rhodes joined the faculty in 2008. She earned her B.S. degree in animal Physiology and Neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego, and her Ph.D. in Neurobiology at Duke University. Rhodes studies the neural control of frog vocal patterns. She teaches Introductionto the Science of Biology, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Human Physiology, and Animal Physiology.
Assistant Professor Laura Romano joined the faculty at Denison in 2003. She earned a B.S. at the College of William and Mary and a Ph.D at the University of Arizona. Romano studies the evolution of genes that regulate sea urchin development in an effort to learn more about the genetic basis of morphological diversity. She teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Developmental Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology and Evolutionary Developmental Biology.
Professor Thomas D. Schultz joined the faculty at Denison in 1990. He earned a B.A. at the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. at the University of Texas-Austin. Schultz teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Animal Behavior, Conservation Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Entomology, and courses in environmental studies. His research involves the use of color by insects in deception and communication and the biomonitoring of insects as indicators of environmental quality.
Visiting Assistant Professor Marek K. Sliwinski joined the faculty in 2007. He earned his B.S. at the University of California, San Diego, and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.
Associate Professor Geoffrey R. Smith joined the faculty at Denison in 2000. He earned a B.A. at Earlham College and a Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Smith is interested in the ecology of amphibians and reptiles and, in particular, the effects of environmental change on amphibian populations and communities. He teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Population and Community Ecology and Vertebrate Field Biology.
Assistant Professor Jeffrey S. Thompson joined the faculty at Denison in 2003. He earned a B.A. at Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles. Thompson studies the role of chromatin structure as a regulator of gene expression, genome organization and other epigenetic phenomenon, using yeast as a model organism. He teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Genetics and Immunology.
Assistant Professor Christine L. Weingart joined the faculty at Denison in 2002. She earned a B.S. at Mount Union College and a Ph.D. at Miami University. Weingart teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, General Microbiology, Virology and Cell and Molecular Biology. Her research interest is bacterial stress responses and their involvement in causing disease.
Assistant Professor Lina Yoo joined the faculty at Denison in 2005. She earned a B.S. at Duke University and a Ph.D. at Washington University. Yoo studies the role of PTEN in bladder cancer. She teaches Introduction to the Science of Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology and Eukaryotic Cell Biology.
For more information about the department and curriculum, link to the:
or contact:
Warren Hauk, Chair
Department of Biology
Samson Talbot Hall, Room 215
Denison University
Granville, Ohio 43023
Phone: (740) 587-5758
Fax: (740) 587-5634
E-mail: hauk@denison.edu